


The Big Book

by ebbj9891



Series: In Quest Of Something [23]
Category: Queer as Folk (US)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Established Relationship, F/F, Family, Flashbacks, Fluff, Gen, Light Angst, Long-Distance Relationship, M/M, Non-Linear Narrative, POV Brian Kinney, POV Gus (Queer as Folk), POV Justin Taylor, Parent-Child Relationship, Post-Series, Separation Anxiety
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-27
Updated: 2015-06-12
Packaged: 2018-03-25 23:30:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 14,886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3828904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ebbj9891/pseuds/ebbj9891
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>With Father's Day approaching, Gus decides that his gift to Brian will be a book that's all about why he loves him. This story explores the stories behind each of the pages in Gus' book.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

“Good afternoon, everybody,” Miss Lisa sing-songs, smiling at everyone as they go walking out the door to meet their parents.

Well, everyone but me. I can’t go with them. Nobody’s here to pick me up. Not even Ruby’s moms can take me home today because Ruby is at her grandma’s this week. It’s super not fair - I’ll be stuck here for ages yet.

Apparently Miss Lisa doesn’t understand how annoying this is because she gives me an even bigger smile than she gave everyone else, like everything is okay and not the absolute worst. She says, “Gus, your moms will be here as soon as they can.”

I give Miss Lisa my most unhappiest look. It’s absolutely-totally-incredibly not fair. How come I have to wait for who knows how long for my moms to show up? Everyone else’s parents got here on time. But everyone else’s parents don’t have to deal with J.R. and her dumb ear infection.

I _hate_ having a little sister. It’s the worstest.

Miss Lisa ignores my most unhappiest look and walks over to the whiteboard. It’s covered with a big colourful sheet of paper because underneath there’s a surprise. We don’t get to find out what it is until tomorrow. Except now Miss Lisa is peeling away the piece of paper. She smiles over her shoulder at me and says, “Since you’re staying, we can get started on tomorrow’s surprise activity together.”

“Really?”

“Really,” she says with a big grin. “As a special treat, okay?”

I grin back at Miss Lisa. She’s the nicest. On the whiteboard are the numbers 1, 2, and 3, all glittery and colourful. Next to each of them is an activity. Miss Lisa explains them to me: “Everyone gets to choose a project for Father’s Day. You can paint a picture of your dad, or you can make him a sculpture, or you can write a book about him.”

“The book,” I blurt out, extra loud. “I want to write Daddy a book.”

Miss Lisa smiles at me like she knew that would be my answer. Miss Lisa knows me pretty well now. She calls me over to the big art table and sits me down with a really big sheet of paper.

“Let’s do some brainstorming,” she suggests, pulling out a packet of markers. “We’re going to fill the book with pages about you and your daddy. Every page needs a picture and a caption. Let’s come up with some ideas for what they might be. What do you like about your daddy, Gus?”

She hands me a purple marker and chooses a pink one for herself. “You can write the words you know. I’ll help you with any others.”

I stare at the big sheet of paper. I want to fill it all up so there’s hardly any white left; only ideas about how great Daddy is. I pull the cap off my marker and write the first thing I think of.

“Kind,” I read aloud, “K-I-N-D. Daddy is kind.”

Miss Lisa pats my shoulder and asks, “Can you give me an example?”

I have to think for a minute. There’s lots of ways that Daddy is kind but Miss Lisa probably doesn’t want to hear absolutely all of them. There’s way too many. So I have a good think and then choose one of the best ones.

“Daddy is kind when he gives me compliments,” I say. I watch carefully as Miss Lisa writes that down for me with her pink marker. “Like he tells me that I’m brilliant.”

“How does it make you feel?”

“It makes me feel…” I pause and glance at the fuzzy feelings chart on the wall. I try to choose one that I’m still learning all the letters to. “Terrific. T-E-R-R-I-F-I-C.”

Miss Lisa smiles and writes that down. Then she reads the whole thing aloud. _“Daddy is kind. Daddy is kind when he gives me compliments, like when he tells me that I’m brilliant. It makes me feel terrific_. Very good, Gus! Can you think of a picture to go with it?”

I nod my head. “It could be me and Daddy reading together. That’s when he tells me how clever I am. And it could have lots of gold stars because gold stars mean ‘brilliant’.”

“Great idea,” Miss Lisa says. She ruffles my hair. “What else could we put in your book about your Daddy?”

I look at the big sheet of paper and suddenly it doesn’t seem big enough. I could probably fill up this page and maybe ten others like it with all the great things about Daddy, because he really is the bestest that there is. So I turn to Miss Lisa and say, “I have lots of ideas. How many can I choose?”

“Well, let’s see…” Miss Lisa gets up and walks over to the cupboard. “I wonder how much paper we have to use for the books?”

While Miss Lisa is searching in the cupboard, I look over at the family tree. The family tree is right by the window because Miss Lisa says trees need lots of light to grow. Everybody has a branch and on mine I have pictures of moms, J.R., Uncles Mikey and Ben, and Daddy and Jus. The picture of Daddy and Jus is maybe my favourite because I took it when I visited them in New York. Jus was feeling sad that weekend but in this photo he’s happy because Daddy and I cheered him up. We must have done a really good job because he’s smiling so much that you can see why Daddy calls him ‘Sunshine’. Sometimes when I’m feeling a bit sad I like looking at the photo of Daddy and Jus. It always makes me feel like I’ve caught some of Jus’ sunshineyness.

“Okay, here we go!” Miss Lisa comes back from the cupboard with a big stack of colourful papers and sets them down in front of me. There must be at least a zillion pages and there are so many colours. I want to use every single colour that there is.

As I stare at the humongous stack of papers, I ask Miss Lisa, “So how many pages can I do?”

Miss Lisa grins at me and says, “As many as you’d like.”


	2. Promises

**I love Daddy because he makes important promises to me and he always keeps them, no matter what. It makes me feel very safe and very loved.**

* * *

_How’s work? x_

The text from Justin comes at the worst possible time. It takes every scrap of willpower that Brian can muster to not hurl the phone across the room. He talks himself out of it as he marches from Kinnetik’s conference room to his office; he doesn’t have time to spare for phone-throwing, nor does he have time to respond. He hates himself a little for it, but Justin will have to wait.

As he charges towards his office, he sidesteps at least three underlings who are trying to grab his attention. He only stops for Cynthia, who he knows isn’t above tripping him or crash-tackling him to get him to stop. Hell, it wouldn’t surprise him if she whipped out a taser.

He stops by her desk and asks in his best _I-can-only-spare-you-thirty-seconds-so-use-them-wisely_   voice, “What is it?”

“You need to sign these,” she orders, pushing an array of documents at him, “And you need to call Lindsay right the fuck now.”

“No time,” Brian says, shaking his head. He grabs a pen and starts signing. “Call her back, tell her I’ll call her over the weekend. Did you set up the meeting with Laurence?”

“He’ll meet you at the Omni at 5pm. You _really_ need to call Lindsay.”

Brian shoves the signed documents back at Cynthia. “I’ll _really_ call her this weekend when I have half a second to breathe.”

He tries escaping into his office but Cynthia follows stubbornly. “Brian, she’s called six times this morning. Every time she sounds more and more upset. I don’t want to freak you out, but I think it might be about Gus.”

“Gus?” Brian wheels around and stares at her. “What about him? What happened? Is he okay?”

“Lindsay wouldn’t say,” Cynthia says in a very careful tone, “But I heard him crying in the background a few times. All she would tell me is that she needs to discuss something with you.”

Brian’s stomach drops. He goes to his desk and sinks into the chair. Cynthia grabs his phone and dials Lindsay’s number, then hands it to him. It barely rings once before Lindsay picks up.

“Brian? Where the hell have you-”

“What’s wrong with Gus?”

“He’s…” she swallows, then says in an unsteady voice, “He’s really upset. He doesn’t like it here.”

 _Fucking shocker,_ Brian wants to spit down the phone. He’s also incredibly tempted to gloat: _Do you mean to say Toronto isn’t the Utopian wonderland that you prophesied it to be?_

But since Cynthia is glaring at him, he opts for a less antagonistic response: “What do you want me to do about it?”

“Well, that’s the thing,” Lindsay says with clear trepidation. “He’s, well… he’s staging a hunger strike.”

“Excuse me?!”

“He announced it this morning. He says he won’t eat until you come and get him. He says he belongs in Pittsburgh with you.”

“Fucking hell,” Brian snaps. He motions to Cynthia for his planner and she goes to fetch it. “How the fuck does he even know what a hunger strike is? He’s five!”

“It beats me. Look, I know you’re busy-”

As Cynthia returns with the planner and mouths _‘hunger strike?!’_ at Brian in abject horror, he interjects, “I’ll be there tonight.”

Hope bursts through Lindsay’s trembling voice as she asks, “You will be?”

“Uh, yeah. Unless you want the kid to starve to death.” Brian grabs a red pen and starts crossing out appointments for the next two days. He ignores the fact that the colour is draining from Cynthia’s face and mouths at her _book me a flight._  Then he tosses the planner at her and insists  _now._ As she marches out of his office, he snarks at Lindsay, “What a depressing end that would be – dying from malnourishment in Toronto. And here you thought it was some sort of paradise.”

“Very funny,” Lindsay says thinly. “When are you going to be here?”

“As soon as fucking possible.” Brian cringes as his head starts to throb. The stress headache that’s been plaguing him on-and-off for the past week is back with a vengeance. “I have to go. See you soon.”

“Brian, tha-”

He hangs up before he can hear the rest of her thank-you. If only he had the time - there’s not enough of it in the world, lately.

*

“I am _not_ eating my dinner, I am _not_ eating ANYTHING, not a SINGLE THING, not until I see Daddy and he takes me home!”

Gus’ threat comes hollering down the stairs, making J.R. whimper and Lindsay wince. Brian touches Lindsay’s wrist lightly but it seems to offer little comfort. That’s not surprising, considering what she and Melanie have had to contend with recently. Apparently Gus has been distraught ever since their arrival in Toronto. His bad moods and defiant behaviours have been escalating over the past week and have now reached an impossible height. Brian is staggered: _hunger striking_ from a five-year-old? Are things really that bad?

Apparently they are, because since Brian arrived, all he’s heard is Gus yelling from inside his room and Melanie desperately trying to negotiate with him. She and Lindsay have been taking it in turns so that one of them can look after J.R., who doesn’t seem to be responding at all well to the crisis. As Brian listens to Mel and Gus’ tense discussion, he watches J.R. warily. She’s merely whimpering right now but he wouldn’t be surprised if that dissolved into full-on wailing. She’s like a tiny ticking time-bomb.

“You don’t have to eat,” Mel promises soothingly, knocking on Gus’ door for the millionth time. “Just come downstairs. You’ll be glad that you did. We have a surprise for you!”

“Fine!” Gus throws his door open and yells, “But when Daddy hears about you luring me places with surprises and making me go hungry 'cause of your bad choices, you’ll be real sorry!”

Lindsay heaves a huge sigh of relief as the intense standoff comes to an end. Gus stomps his way downstairs, so loudly that his bad mood is probably made known to the entire neighbourhood. Brian stays seated in the dining room awaiting Gus’ arrival; despite some initial conflict, he and the munchers were able to reach an agreement, part of which was that they should leave his visit as a surprise.

As Gus enters the dining room with Melanie in tow, he doesn’t immediately take notice of Brian’s presence. At first he’s too distracted with glaring at Lindsay and J.R. like they’re collectively the source of all evil. Brian attempts to grab his attention by saying, “Hey, Sonny Boy.”

Gus’ head snaps around and he stares at Brian with big, round eyes. “Daddy?”

“Surprise,” Mel says, squeezing Gus’ shoulders. “Daddy wanted to see you!”

“He’s missed you so much,” Lindsay adds, smiling at Gus encouragingly.

Gus looks shell-shocked. He opens and closes his mouth several times over and blinks deliberately, as if he’s worried that Brian will vanish at any given moment. Brian smiles at him and opens his arms. “Come here, kiddo.”

That snaps Gus out of his stupor. He charges at Brian and jumps into his arms, then promptly bursts into tears and sobs into Brian’s chest.

Brian glances down at the sobbing mess that is Gus, then over at Lindsay. She looks absolutely heartbroken. He wants to grab for her hand again, but it's impossible with Gus bundled up against him, weeping endlessly. Fortunately, Mel rushes over and wraps her arms around Lindsay comfortingly, which seems to help.

“Gus,” Mel says softly. She sounds as distressed as Brian feels. “Honey, it’s okay.”

“It’s not okay,” Gus sobs, clinging to Brian with surprising intensity. “It’s not okay!”

With Gus heaving in his arms, the munchers looking shattered, and J.R. whining unhappily, Brian realises something needs to be done. He makes a quick decision – one that he’s not sure he’s technically allowed to make, but to hell with that. He scoops Gus up and stands up. “Gus and I are going out to dinner. We’ll be back by ten.”

Ten is technically way past the kid’s regularly scheduled bedtime, but Brian doesn’t give a shit. Fuck technicalities. He shoots Lindsay and Melanie both a look that will hopefully silence any objections that they might have. Lindsay smiles weakly at him and Melanie raises her hands in deference. Brian grabs his coat and Gus’ and then charges out the door into the wintry night.

After unlocking the car that Cynthia arranged to be hired, Brian opens the passenger door and drops Gus gently into the seat. Before buckling him up, Brian helps him into his coat and buttons it up to his chin. He dabs at Gus’ tear-streaked face with his sleeve and asks gently, “Warm enough, kiddo?”

“Yup,” Gus chokes out in between sobs. “You put yours on too.”

Brian nods and slips into his coat. Gus sniffles and reaches up to help with the buttons. His grasp is a little clumsy given how upset he is, but eventually he gets the job done. Brian kisses his forehead and murmurs, “Thanks. Now let’s go get some dinner, okay?”

“Okay,” Gus whimpers. “Just us two?”

“Just us two,” Brian confirms, trying to ignore the pain growing in the depths of his chest.

*

As Brian drives somewhat blindly through the unfamiliar suburb in search of somewhere to eat, Gus sits next to him with tears trickling down his cheeks. By the time Brian has found a diner, Gus is quieter but no less unhappy looking. Brian stops the car and turns off the ignition, then turns to Gus and says, “Here’s what I think we should do. I think we should go inside, order you anything you want, and then we’ll figure out what we’re going to do for the next two days. How does that sound?”

“Two days?” Gus wipes frantically at his wet cheeks. “You’re here for two whole days?”

“I’m here for two whole days,” Brian confirms. He kisses Gus’ forehead and assures the poor kid, “No place else I’d rather be.”

Gus gulps and smiles weakly at Brian. “And I can really order anything? Promise?”

“I promise. Ready to go?”

Gus’ smile grows a little bigger. He unbuckles himself and agrees, “I’m ready.”

“Good. Hold on, kiddo, I’ll get the door for you.”

Brian carries Gus into the diner and hugs him close as a waitress shows them to a booth in the corner. She immediately picks up on Gus’ fragile state and starts doting on him by over-supplying them with colouring books, markers, and a giant pitcher of lemonade. Brian tries to wrangle a ‘thank-you’ out of Gus, but Gus is nestled against him with his face hidden. Brian shrugs apologetically at the waitress and thanks her as she hands over the menus.

“So what do you feel like?” Brian asks, flipping through the menu so that Gus can see.

“I want a cheeseburger,” Gus says loftily. There’s a hint of suspicion in his tone, like he thinks Brian is going to revoke his promise of ‘anything’. When Brian doesn’t challenge him on the cheeseburger front, Gus continues brazenly, “And I want us to share nachos. Also I want a milkshake. And for dessert I want a banana split and with it I also want one more milkshake.”

He stares up at Brian warily and adds, “And I want you to have the exact same as me.”

Brian smiles down at him and agrees, “Sounds good to me. What kind of milkshakes are we getting?”

Gus narrows his eyes momentarily, as though this is too good to be true. “I’ll have chocolate and you’ll have cherry. Then we can share.”

“Sure thing.” Brian tries not to laugh as Gus’ look of astonishment. He kisses his cheek, then signals for the waitress. She comes bounding over with an adoring grin directed Gus’ way, which prompts Gus to go back into hiding. Brian strokes Gus’ hair soothingly as he says, “We’ll have two cheeseburgers, a plate of nachos, two milkshakes – one chocolate, one cherry, and later we’ll be wanting dessert, too.”

“Coming right up,” she agrees happily, seemingly unfazed by their mammoth order. As she tucks her notepad and pen back into her pocket, she says to Gus, “Let me know if I can get you anything else, sweetie. We’ve got lots more colouring books and some toys, too.”

“Thank you,” Gus mumbles, his face still smushed into Brian’s side.

“No problem.” She shoots a smile Brian’s way and then darts off towards the kitchen.

As soon as she’s gone, Gus emerges from his hiding place and makes a grab for one of the colouring books. “Will you colour with me, Daddy?”

“Sure I will.” Brian reaches for a packet of markers and empties them out onto the table. “What are we colouring?”

“This one,” Gus announces, stabbing his finger to a page with an illustration of a pond with frogs leaping around and ducks swimming. “You colour the froggies. I want to colour the duckies.”

“Okay.” Brian grabs a green marker and gets to work, colouring with one hand and stroking Gus’ hair with the other. “So how’s Toronto treating you?”

Gus scowls and says glumly, “It’s not so great.”

“How come?”

“It’s different here. I don’t know anyone.” Gus sighs and continues in a quieter voice, “I don’t ever get to see you.”

“You get to see me now.”

That brings a smile back to Gus’ face. “Yup. Tonight is the bestest.”

“There can be other nights like tonight.” Brian leans in and kisses the top of Gus’ head. “I can visit again.”

“I want you to visit lots,” Gus insists authoritatively. Brian smiles to himself – it sounds an awful lot like the tone he tried taking with Cynthia earlier in the day. His chest pinches a little when Gus gazes up at him with big eyes and says earnestly, “I know you can’t always. I know that you’re busy and that you have important things to do-”

“Sonny Boy,” Brian says, cupping Gus’ tiny face in his hand, “You’re important to me.”

Gus blushes and grins. “You’re important to me too, Daddy.”

“So let’s make a deal.”

“What kind of deal?”

“We’ll keep in touch. You can call or write when you’re missing me, and I’ll be there for you. I promise.” Brian pauses, gives Gus a squeeze, and reiterates emphatically,  “I _promise._ I’m here for you if you need me.”

Gus buries his face in Brian’s shirt again and whispers, “I do need you, Daddy.”

The lingering ache in Brian’s chest goes from dull to dire in an instant. He tries to offset it by giving Gus another kiss, but it doesn’t help as much as he’d like it to. “Now, I can’t always come and visit. But we can talk, or if I’m not free right away, you can talk to Cynthia. She likes hearing from you.”

“And what if Cynthia’s busy?”

“Then she’ll put you through to someone else.”

“Like Justin?”

“Like Justin.”

This time, the ache in his chest fades considerably. He knows that he can count on Cynthia and Justin; with them recruited, Gus is sure to always have someone to talk to if need be. Gus seems to feel similarly confident about this suggestion.

“That’s a good plan, Daddy,” Gus enthuses, beaming. Then he falters and frowns a little. “But I guess I don’t get to come home with you.”

“Sorry, kiddo.” Brian hugs him a little tighter. He tries to eradicate any traces of bitterness as he forces himself to say, “Your home is here now.”

“Hmmph.” Gus glares down at their colouring. “Not fair.”

Brian doesn’t really know what he can or should say to that. As he’s searching for an appropriate response, his phone starts to ring. Gus grabs it and grins. “It’s Justin!”

“Answer it,” Brian says, whilst silently thanking Justin for his superb timing.

Gus answers the phone and says brightly, “Daddy’s phone, Gus speaking.”

Brian watches happily as Gus chatters down the phone to Justin, who seems to be highly skilled at cheering Gus up. All the worry fades from Gus’ face; he looks as cheerful as cheerful can be. As the food arrives, Gus says, “Jus, I have to go. My dinner just got here and I haven’t eaten in, like, a billion hours. I was on a hunger strike. Can we talk later? … yup. I’ll tell him. Mmm-hmm. Yup. We love you, too. Bye.”

Then he hangs up, places the phone aside carefully, and practically dives face-first into the plate of nachos. Brian chuckles and ruffles Gus’ hair. “How was Sunshine?”

“Jus said he painted me a picture for my room!” Gus grins through a mouthful of cheese. He barely even swallows that before taking another gargantuan bite. Brian opts to wait patiently while Gus devours half of the plate of nachos; the poor kid must be starving. Eventually, Gus takes a break between giant mouthfuls to explain, “He’s going to post it tomorrow. He also said to tell you that he can’t wait for you to visit. When are you visiting him, Daddy?”

“This weekend,” Brian says, sharing a grin with Gus. He’d almost forgotten with all the stress at work. It immediately elevates his mood, remembering that he’ll soon be in New York with Justin for what will hopefully be the first of many visits. “Cynthia switched my flight – I’m going to fly there from here.”

“Sounds fantastic.” Gus grabs his milkshake and sucks down half the glass in one go. “Also, Jus said to tell you that he’s proud of you and that he loves you, so I told him that we love him, too.”

“Good boy.” Brian takes a napkin and cleans some sauce away from Gus’ chin. “Now eat up.” 

Not that Gus requires any encouragement in that department - he's wolfing his dinner down with no signs of letting up. He only pauses briefly to push Brian's plate towards him. “You eat up too, Daddy. You must be real hungry.”

“I am,” Brian admits. Not only is he hungry, work and other recent developments have put him in exactly the right kind of mood to stress-eat. Before taking a much-needed bite of his cheeseburger, he says, “Hey, Sonny Boy – no more hunger-striking, okay? You gave us all a scare and you could have hurt yourself. We don’t want that.”

“Okay,” Gus agrees, nodding happily. “Anyways, I don’t need to anymore. Not now that we have our promise.”

He says it with such steadfast certainty; it’s a striking contrast to the boy who was sobbing into Brian’s shirt earlier. Brian looks at Gus and finds himself agreeing with Justin: he's proud of himself, too.

As if on cue, his phone vibrates and lights up, displaying a text from Justin. Brian almost bursts out laughing as he reads it:

_He was on a hunger strike?!?!?!?!!_


	3. Importance

**Daddy is the best because he has lots of love in his heart to give, especially to his most important people. It makes me and Jus feel super wonderful.**

* * *

“Gus, can I come in?”

Why Mommy L is knocking on my bedroom door, I have no idea. I told her that I wanted to have together time with Daddy. I don’t get to see Daddy very much at all, so I think I should get to spend some time just with him and with nobody else. But for some reason Mommy is trying to SABOTAGE our together time. Sabotage means trying to muck something up on purpose. I learned that word a few nights ago when Jus read it to me in a story. Yup, that sounds like what Mommy is trying to do right now.

“Let her in, kiddo,” Daddy says, raising his eyebrows at me. I give Daddy my most frustrated look and go to open the door for Mommy, only not too far because I don’t want her getting the idea that she can ruin my together time with Daddy.

“I thought I’d bring you two some snacks,” Mommy says. She’s holding a big platter full of yummy things. There’s cookies and slices of fruit and hot cocoa with big melty ‘mallows. It all looks super-very-totally tempting.

I open the door a bit more and say, “You can put it down over there, Mommy, and then you can leave.”

“Gus,” Daddy warns, sounding not-so-pleased with me, “Be nice to your mother.”

“It’s okay,” Mommy says. She gives Daddy a hug and kiss and then comes to give me the same. “I know my boys want some time to themselves. Have fun, okay?”

That was actually very nice of Mommy. I feel a little bit bad now for telling her to leave. I walk with Mommy to the door and open it for her, but before she goes I give her one more hug and tell her I love her. Mommy goes pink and gives me a big kiss. Then she says she loves me too and leaves.

I skip back to the table where Daddy and I have been playing with Legos and dig into the tray of treats. “Tell me more about New York. Was it the most amazingest?”

“It was lots of fun,” Daddy says, smiling at me. “Justin’s doing great things there.”

“Did you see my painting?” I point at the wall above my bed where Mommy M hung up the painting. It’s maybe the greatest thing that I ever saw and it’s all mine. Jus painted me a picture of the ocean with lots of fishies and turtles swimming around, because they’re my most favourite. And there’s colourful coral and lots of swishy seaweed, plus starfish and seashells all along the ocean floor. Like I told Jus in my thank you card to him, it’s so beautiful that I never ever want to stop looking at it. Sometimes I look at it before bedtime so that I feel calm before I go to sleep.

“I saw it,” Daddy says. “It’s stunning.”

I nod lots because Daddy is so right. It is stunning.

I listen to Daddy talk about New York some more, but mostly he talks a lot about Jus. He says that Jus has a studio in somewhere called Soho and that he’s doing amazing work there. Daddy is obviously super proud of Jus. I feel super proud of him too.

Since I want to keep going with our Lego project, I ask Daddy to set the tray of treats aside. He props it on the spare chair so that we have lots more room to work with. Daddy and I have been working on our Lego project all morning. There’s a castle and a bridge and a forest so far, but I want lots more things. Hopefully Mommy will let us have lots more together time so that we can build a whole world.

While Daddy starts clicking together some yellow Legos to build a tower, I ask him, “When did you know about Jus?”

“Know what about him?”

“That you loved him.”

Daddy frowns a tiny bit and shrugs. “It’s hard to say.”

Sometimes Daddy is a tiny bit shy about his feelings which I don’t really understand because I think that he’s the bravest ever. It’s not just me who thinks so; Jus and Mommy L always say so too. Mommy L also told me that I have to respect people’s privacy and that not everybody wants to answer questions all the time, but Daddy told me once that I can talk to him about everything and so I think that makes it okay to ask him questions. I already know all about how moms fell in love; now I want to know all about Daddy and Jus.

So even though I know Daddy might get shy, I decide to try and ask my questions anyways. “Was it love at first sight? Like last night in the movie?”

Daddy smiles at me and shakes his head. “That only happens in the movies.”

I don’t really understand that. Why would they put something in movies that doesn’t happen anywhere else? I grab some green Legos and start making a hedge to go right around the castle, so that everyone who lives there is safe and sound. “So then what did you think when you first saw him?”

Daddy does a funny kind of smile; it’s the kind of smile he does when he’s thinking something that he can’t say out loud to me. After a moment he answers, “I thought he was someone that I wanted to meet.”

That doesn’t sound all that romantic but the look on Daddy’s face kind of makes it seem so. As I click together a bunch of red Legos to build a wall, I smile at Daddy and ask, “So then when did you fall in love with Jus?”

Daddy thinks for a while. “It wasn’t all at once.”

That’s kind of like what Mommy L told me about her and Mommy M. She told me that real love grows over time; it doesn’t just happen like BOOM and it’s there. I told Mommy L that it didn’t sound so romantic or exciting the way she described, but she said it makes it more special and more real for it to happen little bit by little bit. Then she told me that I’ll understand when I’m bigger, which is my very least favourite thing to be told by anyone. I want to understand _now._

Hopefully Daddy will help me understand. He doesn’t tell me to wait until I’m bigger as much as other grown-ups do.

“Like, there were lots of things that made you fall?”

“Sure.” Daddy looks at me in a thoughtful kind of way. He glances down at the Legos and says, “That’s still happening.”

“You’re still falling?”

Daddy looks like he’s feeling a bit shy but he nods anyway and says, “I think so.”

I think that's absolutely the most romantic thing I ever heard. I reckon that Jus probably feels the same about Daddy, because whenever he talks about him there’s lots and lots of love in his voice. He always wants to know how Daddy is doing and what we've been up to during our together time, which is great because that is one of my most favourite things to talk about - especially because it makes Jus super happy. It makes me think that Daddy and Jus are probably soul mates, which is something I also heard about in a movie. Only maybe that’s another only-in-the-movies thing. So I ask Daddy, “Is Jus your soul mate?”

This time, Daddy isn’t shy at all - not one itty bit. He shakes his head straight away and says firmly, “I don’t believe in soul mates.”

“What do you believe then?”

“I bel- I  _know_ that Justin is very important to me.”

That’s another thing that doesn’t sound all that romantic but the way Daddy says it is super lovely and so loving. It reminds me of how Jus talks about Daddy. I kind of think that if Daddy did believe in soul mates, that he and Jus would be. But moms are always saying that people are ENTITLED to their own BELIEF SYSTEM and that it's important to respect that. Besides, Daddy is the cleverest, so maybe he's right about soul mates and love at first sight.

I keep building my wall extra tall with the red Legos as I ask the next question that pops into my head. “Is he your most important person?”

Then Daddy says something that makes my heart stop: “No.”

I stare at Daddy in shock. I can’t even make my hands move to keep building the wall. If it’s not Jus, then who is his most important person?!

“You are,” Daddy says. My heart starts beating again. I feel my face go very red and I can’t help but grin at Daddy. It feels very special to be his most important person. It looks like it must make him happy because he smiles back at me very brightly.

Only I can’t stay smiling for long because it doesn’t seem very fair. I don’t think that Daddy has thought this through. I set my Legos down and get ready to have a Serious Talk with him.

“Daddy,” I say, in the kind of voice that moms use with me when I’ve been a bit naughty, “I don’t think that you’re being very fair.”

Daddy looks confused. “You don’t?”

“I don’t,” I say, shaking my head at him. “Jus and I met you on the same night. It’s not fair that I’m more important than him.”

Daddy looks even more confused. “Well, Sonny Boy, the thing is-”

“Daddy, I don’t want to hear it,” I say, still shaking my head. “I’ve thought about it and I want to share with Jus.”

“You want to share with him?”

“I want us both to be your most important people.” I give Daddy the most serious look I’ve ever given anybody in my whole life. “I’ve made my mind up and that’s how it’s gonna be.”

Daddy smiles at me and laughs a tiny bit. “Is that right?”

“Yup.” 

Daddy stops building with the Legos and sets them aside. He stands up and comes and kneels down next to me and wraps me up in a big hug. Then he kisses my forehead and whispers, “You’re a good kid.”

I give Daddy a big squeeze. “I love you.”

He pulls back and smiles at me. “I love you, too.”

“I’ll tell Jus about our arrangement,” I say. “That we’re your most important people.”

Daddy laughs. “Oh you will, will you?”

“Mmm-hmm.” I nod at Daddy. “I think Jus will like sharing.”

“I’m sure he will.” Daddy touches my cheek, then he gets up and goes to sit back at his side of the Lego station.

“Daddy?”

“Yes, Sonny Boy?”

I give him my very best smile and tell him, “It feels good to be one of your most important people.”

“It feels good to have you as one of them,” he says, looking maybe the most happy I’ve ever seen him. Maybe it’s the most happy I’ve ever seen anyone.

“Daddy?”

“Yeah?”

“You’re one of my most important people.”

“I am, am I?” He says it like he’s a tiny bit surprised, which is silly because _of course_ Daddy is one of my most important people.

“Yup.” I start adding to Daddy’s tower with more yellow bricks, since I like it best when we build together. “You, moms, Jus, and sometimes J.R. when she’s being real nice.”

“Thanks, kiddo.” Daddy sounds a bit shy again. He clicks another brick on top of our tower and gives me another big smile. Nope, I was wrong before. This is the happiest I’ve ever seen Daddy by far.


	4. Safety

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FYI, this chapter and the one which will follow (hopefully very soon!) take place immediately after the end of _Ours_.

**I love how Daddy looks after me. Daddy always makes sure that I feel safe and sound.**

* * *

“Can we go star-gazing for real sometime?” Gus asks, sounding far too energetic given that it’s almost midnight. It’s not that Brian minds – he isn’t really tired yet, either – but he doesn’t want Gus oversleeping tomorrow and missing his first full day in New York. Sleep doesn’t seem to be on the horizon, though - as Brian tries to think of ways to calm Gus down a fraction, Gus continues to chatter enthusiastically, “Ruby goes with her moms sometimes and they sleep under the stars and she said it’s the bestest. Can we go, Daddy?”

“Sure, we can go,” Brian agrees. He cuddles up closer to Gus and strokes his hair softly, whilst watching the spellbound expression on Gus’ face. He’s been staring up at the ceiling of his bedroom for the past hour, transfixed by the glow-in-the-dark stars and the stardust detail that Justin has painted meticulously. It’s no wonder that Gus is still buzzing with excitement - the kid loves his new bedroom, that’s for sure. 

“That would be the most wonderful.” Gus smiles and cozies into Brian’s side. “Thanks for staying with me, Daddy.”

“Anytime,” Brian vows. Despite everyone’s best efforts, Gus still became anxious as bedtime approached. Understandable, given that it’s an entirely new place to him: different city, different home, different bedroom. Since nothing else offered Gus any solace – not cuddles and cocoa from Lindsay and Melanie, nor storytime with Justin – Brian offered to stay with him in his new bedroom. They’ve been cuddled up on the top bunk for a while now, underneath the layers of soft and fuzzy blankets that Brian and Justin sourced from a children’s boutique on Spring Street. Gus is clutching the teddy bear that he brought with him from Toronto; when bedtime was first announced, Gus had clung to the thing so hard that Brian was worried the stuffing would explode out of the poor thing – at least, now, Gus’ grip is gentler. That’s a good sign.

Still riddled with energy, Gus asks brightly, “What are we gonna do tomorrow?”

Brian pulls Gus closer and hugs him gently. “Anything you’d like. Justin has some ideas; you can talk to him about them in the morning.”

“Okay.” Gus smiles up at the glowing stars. “Daddy?”

“Yes, Sonny Boy?”

“Tell me a story.”

“What kind of story?”

“A story about… you and Jus. Like… your first date.”

Brian barely manages to stifle his laughter in time. “Uh, our first date, huh?”

Gus nods heartily. “Yup.”

Since he doesn’t want to lie to the kid, Brian decides to ‘fess up. “We didn’t really have one.”

This reveal clearly disturbs Gus; he bolts upright and stares at Brian in bewilderment. “Then how did you romance him?”

“How did I _what?”_

“How. Did. You. Romance. Him?”

As Brian bites down on the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing, he asks, “Where have you heard about ‘romancing’?”

“From Ruby,” Gus says, as though it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “That’s why she sleeps over every Friday night: so that her moms can go on date night and romance each other.”

“That’s… nice,” Brian says, still struggling to contain his laughter. He tugs on Gus’ sleeve and gets the kid to lie down again. “Uh, Justin and I aren’t really the dating kind.”

“What kind are you, then?” Gus demands with his face all scrunched up. “What other kind IS there?”

“Well…” Brian pauses and searches for the best way to put it. “How do you think Ruby’s moms feel when they ‘romance’ each other?”

“I think they feel romanced,” Gus says very slowly, peering at Brian as though he’s quite dim. “That’s the whole point of going on dates.”

For a moment, Brian feels at a loss. He wonders how he got here: having a slumber party with his five-year-old son, who is apparently head-over-heels for love stories. And not just ‘love stories’ - it seems that Gus is rapidly developing a taste for tales that involve an insipid blend of fate, soul mates, and happily-ever-afters. It leaves a bitter taste in Brian’s mouth, as well as a kick of discomfort in the pit of his stomach. Lindsay has advised him to leave it be and let Gus enjoy his innocence, but Brian isn’t keen on said ‘innocence’ involving quite so much fantasy and fairy-dust.

Then again, he can’t risk sitting down at breakfast tomorrow morning and have Gus start parroting his worldview, as the kid is wont to do. That’s one surefire way to make Gus’ first trip to New York his last. So, whilst fighting to keep from rolling his eyes, Brian tries to negotiate a balanced way of dealing with this. It’s not at all easy - especially not with Gus gazing at him expectantly as though he holds all the answers. It adds a good dose of pressure on top of everything else.

Finally, Brian comes up with something that seems fitting.

“There’s other ways to feel-” he cringes inwardly, then manages to choke out, “‘Romanced’.”

“Like how?”

It takes some serious ducking and weaving for Brian to get past what he considers to be the most pertinent example and find more child-appropriate examples. After some contemplation, he manages to come up with a few vague responses which he hopes might placate Gus. “We spend time together. We find ways to make each other happy.”

Gus frowns. “Do you mean how you’re always hugging and kissing? You and Jus do that a lot more than anyone else I know.”

“Exactly like that.” Brian leans closer and presses a kiss to Gus’ forehead. “I guess that’s our version of ‘date night’, only we do it all the time. That way, we always feel loved. It’s not just something that happens once a week.”

“Okay.” Gus frowns a little and snuggles deeper under the fuzzy blankets. “I guess that’s nice.”

“It is.” Brian smiles reassuringly at Gus and manages to tamp down the last of his laughter so that he can say, “Trust me, kiddo: we feel plenty ‘romanced’.”

“If you say so, Daddy.”

“I do say so, Sonny Boy.”

Gus sighs and returns his attention to the stars above. Brian watches as Gus' big blue eyes scan the illuminated ceiling and the smattering of stardust that glimmers faintly, even in the dark. There’s such a sense of wonder gleaming in Gus’ gaze; Brian can’t bear to look away.

Nonetheless, he’s relieved when Gus’ eyes start to droop and his mouth stretches open in a big yawn. It’s late, after all, and they hopefully have a big day ahead of them tomorrow. The kid’s first full day in New York - Brian can't help but grin. He can't wait to share the city with his son.

Brian pulls Gus and holds him in his arms, hoping that the embrace provides Gus with some security. It seems to; Gus sighs contentedly and closes his eyes. “Good night, Daddy.”

Brian drops one last kiss to Gus’ shoulder, closes his eyes, and whispers, “Night.”


	5. Pride

**I love Daddy because he is very amazing. He does great things and it makes me feel very proud to be his son.**

* * *

“Jus. Jus, Jus, Jus, Jus, Jussss- _tin.”_

Justin awakes to chanting in his ear and tapping on his shoulder. As he rolls over, he comes face-to-face with Gus, who’s sitting next to him in bed and smiling brightly. It instantly brings a smile to Justin’s face - it’s a great way to start the day, seeing Gus’ smiling face. Justin reaches over and tickles Gus a little. “Morning, Gussy.”

“Good morning,” Gus says, beaming as he squirms away from the tickles. “Daddy told me that you would make me breakfast.”

Justin pulls himself up and glances around the room. Brian is nowhere to be seen. Of course - he slept in Gus’ room last night. As Justin slumps back down against the pillows, Gus supplies, “He’s being a sleepyhead. I tried waking him up but he told me that you were in charge of breakfast and that I could count on you. Then he went right back to sleep.”

“Sounds about right,” Justin laughs. He scrubs at his face as he says, “Here’s what we’ll do. You’re gonna go into the kitchen, grab the eggs and the milk from the fridge, and then we’ll make French toast together. As soon as it’s ready, you have my full permission to go and wake him up by any means necessary. Personally, I recommend tickling. How does that sound?”

Gus grins. “Sounds good. I’ll go get the eggs and milk.”

Then he leaps out of bed and goes bolting down the hall. Justin drags himself from the temptingly cozy bed and heads into the bathroom. After relieving himself and washing his face, he feels a tad more awake and ready to face the day. Since the apartment is often chilly first thing in the morning, Justin grabs his favourite sweater, pulls it on, then goes in search for something for Gus. He slips quietly into Gus’ room and fetches a sweater from the bureau. Brian is still passed out on the top bunk, curled up amongst the blankets on his side, snoring lightly. Justin resists the urge to wake him up by questionable means (tickling comes to mind; so does groping) and leaves him to sleep for a little while longer. 

When he makes his way into the kitchen, he finds Gus sifting through the cabinets in search of something. Justin sneaks up behind him and scoops him up, making Gus shriek with excitement. After plopping Gus down on the island and helping him into his sweater, Justin starts explaining how they’ll make the French toast. Gus nods along with a studious look on his face, as though he’s memorising every last word Justin speaks.

Once Justin has finished explaining the recipe, he grabs a bowl from the cabinet nearest the fridge and hands it to Gus. Grinning knowingly, he offers, “Wanna crack the eggs?”

Gus nods and makes an eager grab for the carton. Justin helps him hold the bowl and hands him the eggs one-by-one. He can’t help but smile as he watches Gus take immense care with the task – for a child who’s been likened to a hurricane, he’s surprisingly delicate in his touch as he grasps the eggs and cracks them against the side of the bowl. Once all the eggs are cracked, Justin ruffles Gus’ hair and hands him a whisk and shows him how to mix them by guiding Gus’ hand. Once Gus has the knack, Justin leaves him to it and goes to grab the rest of the fixings.

“What are we gonna do today?” Gus asks chirpily. “Daddy said you had ideas.”

“I have lots of ideas,” Justin says. As he grabs the milk and helps Gus pour it into the bowl, he continues, “We could catch the subway to Chelsea and visit this great book store. You could choose some for your room for us to read whenever you visit.”

“Yes,” Gus blurts out, nodding urgently. Then he blushes a little and adds, “Please. Yes please.”

“And we could go to one of the parks and have a play, or maybe visit one of the museums. Sound good?”

“Yup. Also…” Gus stops whisking and looks at Justin thoughtfully. “Could we go to Daddy’s office? I wanna see it.”

Justin kisses his forehead. “We sure can.”

“Does this look okay so far?” Gus asks, presenting the bowl to Justin. 

“It looks great - good whisking, buddy. I reckon it’s just about ready to go.” 

As Justin helps Gus add the cinnamon, Gus queries, “Can I go wake Daddy up now?”

Justin glances at the clock. It’s not even 6.30 and it seems that Mel, Linds, and J.R. are still fast asleep. He’s sure that Brian would prefer to sleep longer, but Gus is wriggling with excitement and undoubtedly getting hungrier by the second. Justin is feeling pretty ravenous, too. That’s that - Brian’s going to have to get up.

“Go get him, Gussy.”

The words have barely left Justin’s mouth before Gus goes stampeding down the hall. Whilst listening in amusement, Justin grabs the fry-pan and gets to work. By the time the first slices are cooking, Gus’ laughter is sounding through the apartment. Then there’s some very excited squealing. Then there’s more laughing, but it comes in short bursts that almost sound like hiccups, which seem to be growing closer and closer. The laughter spills into the kitchen as Justin finishes the first batch of French toast. He turns around and finds Brian peering at him suspiciously with Gus tossed over his shoulder, dangling and giggling. Brian marches towards Justin and accuses, “Rumour has it that you put the idea of tickling me into this kid’s impressionable little head.”

“I'm not im-presh-on-abble,” Gus protests as Brian swings him around and sets him down on the floor. “I’ve tickled you before, Daddy, and I’ll tickle you again - whether Jus tells me to or not!”

“Is that so?” Brian grins and lunges at Gus as though to tickle him, but Gus darts behind Justin’s legs and hides there. Brian relents and refocuses on Justin. “Morning, Sunshine.”

“Morning.” Justin kisses him softly, as he’s mindful of Gus watching them, but Brian clearly doesn’t have the same reservations; he loops an arm around Justin and kisses him back passionately and without any regard for decency. It’s a perfect beginning to the day, one which Justin is looking forward to immensely.

*

Their day exploring the city stretches on for hours on end. First, they take Gus to the bookshop and treat him to a whole new collection of books to enjoy whenever he visits. Then they take the subway up to Grand Central, which Gus is desperate to see after having seen it in no less than three movies with Ruby, the plots to which he recites as they journey around the station. Then there’s lunch, then a lengthy visit to MoMA, then a walk along the edge of the park where Gus gasps in delight at the sight of each and every horse. When Brian promises him a carriage-ride during his next visit, Gus looks like he might faint from excitement.

It’s evening by the time they arrive at Kinnetik. The elevator doors have only just begun to slide open when Gus bursts out and runs full-pelt through the office. 

As Gus disappears into the office kitchen, Brian frowns and nudges Justin. “Do you think he wants us to show him around, or…?”

“I think he’s showing himself around,” Justin says with a laugh. He sets down the bags full of books and stretches his tired arms out. Meanwhile, Gus charges from one office to the other, zig-zagging in and out of them.

“Come here,” Brian says, grabbing Justin’s hand. He leads Justin into the conference room, towards the West-facing windows, underneath which are window-seats. As they sit down together, Brian nods towards the view. The surrounding buildings are lit up and aglow under the night sky. As Justin gazes outward, he feels a surge of affection for the city - one so strong that it almost knocks the breath from him.

“I fucking love it here,” he confesses, smiling as he watches lights from the buildings across the way switch on and off, and silhouettes appear fleetingly in the illuminated windows. It’s refreshing to see the city’s peaceful side once more, especially when their day has been so hectic: the bookshop was bustling, the trains were packed, and their decidedly touristy destinations were crowded with pushy people. Justin flexes his arms again; there is a persistent ache in them after hours of carrying either the books or Gus, who he was worried might get lost amongst the masses. After all, Gus is lightning-quick and rather slippery. It would only take a second to lose him in a place like MoMA or Grand Central.

His legs are a little sore, too, so he stretches them out and props them atop Brian’s. Brian immediately places his hands on Justin’s shins and starts stroking them soothingly. Quietly, he says, “I love it here, too.” 

“I love it here, three,” Gus adds loudly as he sprints into the conference room. “You guys and Ruby were right - New York is the bestest.” 

“I’m glad you like it here,” Justin says, grinning at the kid as he circles the conference table. Cynthia has set up portfolios and boards for the Monday meeting with one of Brian’s newer clients - a cosmetics company. The work that Andrew has done is absolutely gorgeous. Gus seems to think so, too - he gazes at each and every one of the boards with an amazed expression. It’s the same one he had whilst touring the city all day and Justin can’t get enough of it. 

“Daddy, I think this place is amazing,” Gus gushes, sounding somewhat breathless. Whether it’s exhaustion or awe, Justin isn’t sure. As Gus clambers up onto the window seat in between the two of them, he asks in wonder, “Did you really do all of this yourself?”

“Not by myself,” Brian says, smiling over at Justin meaningfully. “I had help from some very talented people.” 

Justin grins at Brian and kicks him lightly. Brian kicks right back.

“Well,” Gus says, whilst staring out the window with an adoring look on his face, “I think all of you did amazing.” 

He then climbs into Justin’s lap. Justin holds Gus close and smiles as Gus’ head comes to rest on his shoulder. He doesn’t miss the faint blush blossoming on Gus’ face as he says shyly, “I’m really proud of you, Daddy.” 

This time, a flood of affection washes over Justin. He squeezes Gus and presses a kiss to his cheek, then steals a glance at Brian, who looks tremendously pleased with Gus’ adoring praise. Grinning brilliantly, Brian says, “Thanks, kiddo.” 

Justin gives Gus another squeeze and they return to watching the city. He finds himself entranced by the street below and decides to call Gus’ attention to it by pointing. Together, they watch the traffic speed past in flurries of light. As Gus starts wondering aloud about where all the different cars are headed, Justin glances over at Brian and realises that he hasn’t been watching the city - he’s been watching them with a tender gaze.

“Jus?” Gus grabs his attention by tugging at his sleeve. “Where do you think that one is going?” 

He’s pointing to a cab that’s heading downtown and weaving through the traffic with haste. Gus follows it with curiosity bright in his eyes. Justin grabs his hand and presses Gus’ index finger to the glass, then tracks it in the direction that the cab is taking. 

“I don’t know, Gussy,” he says with a smile - he can still feel Brian watching them lovingly. “Somewhere great, probably.” 


	6. Friendship

**I like how Daddy is also a lot like a friend. Daddy and me are best friends forever.**

* * *

“Hey, kiddo,” Brian says, opening his arms to Gus as he walks into Gus’ bedroom. To Brian’s surprise, Gus doesn’t come flying at him. He’s sitting at his activity table with Ruby, the both of them in a spell of deep concentration. 

This is not the sort of greeting to which Brian is accustomed upon arrival in Toronto, but he’s so relieved to see Gus again that he doesn’t really care. Though they’re doing better and better at keeping in touch, the longing is still unbearable. Lately, he has missed Gus so much that it has physically pained him. Right now, that pain is diminishing, but it still has a way to go. Keen to be rid of it, Brian walks over to the table and pats Gus’ shoulder. “How are things?” 

“Hi, Daddy,” Gus says distractedly. “Things are good.” 

He angles his face up so that Brian can give him a kiss, but that’s it. The kid is utterly preoccupied with the craft activity that Mel has set up. He barely even looks at Brian and there’s none of the lightning-quick chatter that Brian is used to hearing during their reunions.

Though the reception is a little underwhelming, he’s at least glad to see Gus so content. He sits down between the two kids and smiles as Ruby. “Hey.”

“Hi, Brian,” Ruby says, beaming at him. “We’re making friendship bracelets.”

“Really?” Brian eyes the table and its overflowing mound of ribbons. “Sounds like fun.”

“Yup,” Gus says, still focused on the task at hand. “We’re making lots and lots.”

“Who are they for?”

Ruby grabs a few that she’s finished and presents them to Brian with obvious pride. “The pink ones are for me and my moms, the yellow ones are for me and Miss Lisa, and the rest are for me and Gus.”

‘The rest’ comprises about twenty different bracelets in almost every colour imaginable. Gus grins at Ruby and adds, “Me and Ruby want to wear ours every day but we want lots of colours so we can always choose.”

Brian reaches over and ruffles Gus’ hair. “That’s nice, kiddo.”

Gus nods as he finishes weaving another bracelet. He knots it together with a delicate touch and hands it to Brian. “This one is for Jus. Where is he?”

“I dropped him off at the gallery.”

“Oh, yeah.” A frown begins to form on Gus’ face. “Mommy wanted to show him some stuff. I told her not to hog him but she said it was important.”

“They won’t be too long,” Brian promises, giving Gus’ shoulder a comforting squeeze. “They’ll be back in time for dinner.”

“Hmmmph.” Gus scowls. “Well, just make sure you keep that safe, Daddy.”

Brian glances down at the bracelet, which is woven with three different shades of blue. There’s a tiny little blue bead in the middle of it that catches in the light. Gus touches the lightest strand of ribbon and says in a quietly but affectionately, “I chose this one ‘cause it matches his eyes.”

“I’ll keep it safe,” Brian vows. He tucks the carefully woven bracelet into his shirt pocket and smiles at Gus. “He’ll love it.”

Gus blushes a little and grins. “I hope so.”

“Brian,” Ruby says, patting his arm softly, “I made these two for you and Gus.”

She grabs two matching bracelets and places them in Brian’s hand. As Brian studies them, Gus interjects quickly, “I designed them. But Ruby’s better with the beads, so I asked her to do them for me.”

The bracelets are a mix of ribbons in sea green and forest green, with blue beads woven throughout. They’ve clearly been designed and created with immense care. Brian touches the silky strands and the gleaming beads, first on his longer bracelet, then on Gus’ shorter one, and falls in love with them.

“Thank you,” Brian says, smiling at Ruby. She grins back and then returns to weaving yet another bracelet. Gus is similarly preoccupied, but that doesn’t stop Brian from grabbing the kid and swooping him into his arms. As Gus squeals with excitement, Brian gathers him into his lap and wraps him up in a hug. After kissing Gus’ forehead, Brian whispers, “And thank you, kiddo. They’re beautiful.”

“Let’s put them on,” Gus says eagerly. He grabs the longer bracelet and carefully ties it around Brian’s wrist. He smiles and presses a kiss to Brian’s palm. “Now you do mine, Daddy.”

“Sure.” Brian takes the other bracelet and does exactly as Gus did. He secures the bracelet around the kid’s tiny little wrist, which looks so impossibly delicate, and then kisses Gus’ hand. “How’s that?”

“Perfect,” Gus enthuses, smiling radiantly. He hugs Brian tight and announces, “Now we’re friends forever, Daddy.”

“Friends forever,” Brian echoes, his heart somersaulting in his chest. “Lucky me.”


	7. Goodbye

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the lovely feedback so far, it's truly appreciated! I hope you enjoy this next chapter too.
> 
> This follows on from Miles to Go and is set after Brian, Justin, and Gus' weekend together.

**Goodbyes are always really sad but Daddy does his best to make it all better.**

* * *

“You know that I’d come to the airport if I could, right?” Brian asks, feeling a sinking sense of guilt as Gus sighs dismally. “That’s where I want to be, kiddo.”

It’s clear that he’s breaking his kid’s heart. That much is crystal fucking clear. Brian loathes himself for it - it goes against everything he’s promised himself where Gus is concerned and, yet, here they are. He’s being forced to ditch his kid and now Gus is shattered. What a way to end a weekend that was already brutal to begin with. _Fuck!_

Gus wraps his arms around his legs and pulls them to his chest. It makes him look so much smaller; Brian’s chest constricts slightly at the sight. As Gus stares out of Brian’s office window at the surrounding buildings, he asks in a tiny voice, “Then why can’t you be there with me?”

“Because I can’t miss this meeting.”

That’s the miserable truth – there’s no avoiding this meeting. No way, no how. Without this client, Kinnetik’s Manhattan branch could never have come to fruition. They were the linchpin during the first few months and they’re still one of the company’s most lucrative clients. Rescheduling a meeting with them – especially a critical meeting like this one – is totally un-fucking-acceptable.

With a sigh, Gus guesses, “It’s real important, huh?”

“It is.” Brian edges a little closer to Gus and starts stroking his hair. “You are, too. You know that, right?”

“I know.”

“I just can’t come with you to the airport. I have to stay here.”

“I understand, Daddy.”

Though Gus might claim to know and understand, he still seems deeply upset. Brian hates himself for that. He tries everything: stroking the kid’s hair, holding his hand, making him promises… nothing works to lift the glum look from Gus’ face.

Their time together is dwindling. Gus is clearly aware of it. With a gulp, he asks, “How much longer?”

Brian glances at his watch. “Three minutes.”

With a strangled sob, Gus launches into Brian’s arms and slumps there, crying softly. Brian does all that he can – he rocks Gus back and forth, hugs him tight, kisses his tear-stained cheeks. It calms Gus a little, but even so, the kid remains thoroughly distraught.

“Will we see each other again soon?” Gus cries, weeping into Brian’s shirt. Brian wonders (with a deep, damaging stab of guilt) what the fuck the client is going to think of his damp attire. Still, he keeps Gus clutched to his chest.

“Of course we will,” Brian promises, punctuating it with a series of soft kisses to Gus’ temple. “It won’t be long at all.”

Gus looks up at him with big, sorrowful eyes that are glossy with tears. “Will Jus be okay?”

Brian takes a deep breath. In the few seconds he has to gather himself, he focuses on how much happier Justin seemed in Gus’ presence, and how very effective Gus’ ‘cheer-up brigade’ proved to be. It helps just enough to keep him from crying, which is awfully fucking tempting right about now. As confidently as he can, Brian makes a promise that he’s hellbent on keeping: “He will be.”

“Will you look after him?”

“I promise I will.” Brian wipes Gus’ tears away and says softly, “I’ll look after him just like you did. You’ve been so good to him, kiddo.”

Gus smiles weakly and then slumps back against Brian’s chest in a teary mess. He starts crying harder when a knock sounds at the door. As Brian checks his watch his stomach twist into knots. Their time together is up, yet again.

Brian scoops Gus up and carries him over to the door. He opens it to find Justin waiting. Brian squeezes Gus, kisses him again, and whispers in his ear, “Sunshine’s going to take you downstairs now.”

He passes Gus to Justin and braces himself for a meltdown, but Gus merely whimpers and grabs onto Justin with all his might. Justin cuddles him, kisses him, and says sweetly, “The cab’s waiting, Gussy. If we go now, we’ll have time to stop for one last treat before we go to the airport. ‘Kay?”

“‘Kay,” Gus mumbles. He hides his face in Justin’s shoulder and says quietly, “Bye, Daddy.”

“Bye,” Brian chokes out. He reaches out and touches Gus’ shoulder very gently. “I’ll see you soon.”

“Mmm-hmm,” Gus hums shakily.

The only thing that helps to lift Brian’s mood by a fraction is Justin, who smiles kindly and says, “Good luck with the meeting – not that you’ll need it. I’ll meet you tonight for dinner?”

“Sure.” Brian steps closer to the two of them, kisses the back of Gus’ head, then Justin’s cheek. “See you. Sonny Boy – I’ll call you later, alright?”

“Alright.” Gus sniffles and tugs on Justin’s shirt. “Let’s go, Jus – I want my treat.”

“Sure thing, buddy.”

Brian doesn’t walk with them to the elevator. He watches them go and then shuts himself inside his office. He doesn’t cry. There’s no time.

It’s not just the impending arrival of his most important client - it’s that Brian feels obligated to hold himself together. Justin fell apart a few days ago and has no idea how to put himself back together. Gus is struggling with this stupid, painful, nonsensical arrangement. Even now that they’re both gone - definitely out of the building, probably in the cab, maybe blocks away by now - Brian can sense them looking to him for support. He can’t stand to let them down.

So he forces himself to remain calm. He pulls himself together, heads into the conference room, and gets ready to continue on with his day as though everything were normal. He presents the strongest front that he possibly can even though, deep down, he’s never felt quite so vulnerable.


	8. Superdad

**Even though Daddy didn’t always think he could be a good father to me, he’s actually the most terrific. He's my Superdad.**

* * *

“Gus?” Justin knocks on Michael and Ben’s guest-room door gently. “Gussy, you up? I have some birthday cake for us to share!”

Justin figures that he _should_ still be up – after all, it’s not even 7pm. But the festivities for J.R.’s birthday proved to be too much for Gus to tolerate. Though he put on a brave face and a big smile for the games and cupcakes, Gus hit his limit when it came time for birthday presents. After seeing the mountain of gifts that were waiting for his little sister, Gus announced that he was taking an early bedtime and flounced off upstairs in a fit of righteous indignation.

“I’m up,” Gus calls. Immediately, panic hits Justin like a sledgehammer; Gus’ voice is tiny and shaky, as though he’s been sobbing his heart out.

Justin throws the door open and finds Gus lying face-down in bed, weeping into the sheets. He sets down the plateful of cake that he was going to treat Gus to and bolts towards him. “What’s wrong, Gussy?”

“Everything,” Gus chokes out. A big, fat tear slides down his cheek. “Everything is wrong and it’s the most worst it’s ever been.”

Justin lies down next to Gus and studies him curiously. These don’t seem like the crocodile tears that Gus is famed for. They don’t seem like the kind of tears that derive from sibling rivalry, intense though Gus’ may be. It looks like Gus is actually in serious distress.

It terrifies Justin. He reaches out and touches Gus’ hair very gently, testing to see if it’s okay. Gus sniffles a little but otherwise doesn’t seem fussed. Justin strokes his hair soothingly, the way that Brian always does when he’s comforting Gus.

“Do you wanna talk about it?”

Gus nods his head a little, then shakes it, then huffs in frustration. “Kinda yes but mostly no because I might get in a lot of trouble.”

“Why would you get in trouble?”

“Because I was ears-dropping,” Gus mumbles. The reluctant confession turns his face bright red.

“Eavesdropping?” Justin pats the kid’s back. “Well, Gussy, you know you shouldn’t do that… but it’s okay, you’re not in trouble.”

“You won’t tell on me?”

“I won’t tell on you.”

Gus sniffles again. “Thanks, Jus.”

“So why were you eavesdropping?”

“I was ears… _eaves_ dropping because Ruby taught me a trick. You put a glass up to the wall and your ear up to the glass and you can hear and it’s like magic.”

Justin can’t help but smile. He remembers teaching that trick to Daphne about a billion years ago. Together, they ‘ears-dropped’ on many a conversation. He tickles Gus a little, hoping it’ll cheer the kid up ever so slightly, but Gus remains miserable. “So what did you hear?”

“I heard some people talking.” Gus’ face scrunches up and he lets out a hearty sob. “I wish I wouldn’t have listened.”

“What did they say?”

After burying his face deep in the sheets, Gus mumbles something. It takes Justin a moment to decipher it: “They were saying stuff about Daddy.”

Protectiveness daggers through Justin. He tries to keep calm but it’s close to impossible. He can only hope that Gus doesn’t hear the tension threaded through his voice as he asks, “Gus, what were they saying?”

“They were saying nice things at first,” Gus gulps, “Which is why I started listening.”

 _Bullshit,_ Justin thinks to himself, fighting to hide his amusement. Gus would have listened to the conversation no matter what. He keeps stroking the kid’s hair and prompts, “What kind of nice things did they say?”

“They said that Daddy is a big success.” Gus smiles a little at that. “And that he’s very _accomplished._ And they said how he was so good with me and how he was being a fantastic father. Which is true!”

“It is,” Justin agrees.

Gus huffs and pouts. “But then they said something bad.”

Justin watches in horror as Gus buries his face deeper into the sheets and cries even harder. “Gussy, what is it?”

“They said,” Gus whimpers, then sobs, then starts shaking as he wails, “They said Daddy never wanted me!”

This time, the protectiveness ignites within Justin like wildfire. He bolts upright and demands, “Who? Who said that?”

“I didn’t know their voices,” Gus mumbles, “It sounded all funny through the glass and also the door.”

Justin tries to think, but Gus has been sulking upstairs for over an hour and countless people have been moving around the house in that time. It could have been anyone, really, especially since it’s hardly an original thought - Justin has heard it said plenty of times. But saying it while Gus is around? It’s a good thing that the people behind this are damn near unidentifiable - Justin doesn’t want to think what he might do to them if he knew who they were.

“What exactly did they say? Do you remember the exact words?”

“Yes!” Gus nods emphatically. “Yes, they said: _It’s kind of strange. It’s not like he even wanted a kid and now look at him – he’s like a Superdad.”_

Then he bursts into tears again and laments woefully, “Daddy didn’t want me!”

Justin doesn’t hesitate for so much as a nanosecond. He gathers Gus up and bundles him in his arms. It breaks his heart when Gus starts weeping into the crook of his neck, the tears coming thick and fast. Justin holds him snugly and whispers, “Gussy, that’s not true. That’s not true at all.”

For a while, Gus doesn’t reply – he just sobs and sobs and sobs, clinging to Justin desperately, his entire body shaking. Justin hugs him, presses kisses to his brow, and rocks him gently. Bit by bit, Gus calms down. Once his sobs have reduced to sniffles, Justin asks, “What have your moms told you about how you were born?”

Whilst wiping his face, Gus chokes out, “Mommy L said that she and Mommy M wanted a baby very much, but two girls can’t make a baby on their own, so they asked Daddy to help.”

“And why do you think they asked him?”

“Because they all love each other very much,” Gus recites dutifully. “Plus Mommy L has known Daddy for a long, long time and she said that she trusted him to be the best person to help her have a baby.”

“Mmm-hmm.” Justin snuggles Gus close and kisses his forehead. “You know, he didn’t have to say yes. He could have decided not to help. He chose to say yes, didn’t he?”

Gus frowns thoughtfully. “I guess so.”

“I know so,” Justin says. “He chose to say yes, which means he chose you.”

The frown crumpling Gus’ face turns to one of confusion. “But he didn’t know me yet. How could he choose me if he didn’t even know me?”

“Well, I guess he didn’t know you back then.” Justin pauses for a moment as he searches for the right thing to say. When he lands on it, he squeezes Gus and explains with confidence, “That’s the best part, if you ask me. He chose to have a baby to help your moms and he probably figured it would be really nice. Then when they had you… well, he met you and found out how amazing you are. Now he can't imagine his life without you.”

Gus lifts his head and blinks up at Justin. Smiling, Justin kisses his forehead and murmurs, “What I think those people _meant_ to say is that your Daddy didn’t realise how much he would love you. It surprised him. And you know, Gussy, I also reckon that he didn’t think he’d be a good dad.”

Gus’ eyes bug out of his head. Sounding deeply scandalised, he blurts out, “But that’s _ridiculous_. He’s the most terrific dad in the whole universe!”

“He’s a Superdad,” Justin says, nodding eagerly. “Which is what those people were really trying to say: that even though maybe he didn’t expect it to be this way, he’s a Superdad to the most amazing kid on the planet. Gussy, he loves you so much.”

A shy smile begins to light up Gus’ face. He cuddles into Justin’s arms and whispers slyly, “I’m more amazing than J.R., huh?”

Justin pokes Gus’ tummy and tickles him. “Don’t be a meanie about your sister - especially not on her birthday!”

Gus giggles and squirms away, then wriggles under the blankets. He pulls them up to his chin and hugs them tight around himself, then stares at Justin intently. After a moment, he says softly, “Thanks, Jus. Daddy said that you always know how to make things all better.”

“He did, huh?” Justin grins and lies down next to Gus. “What else did he say?”

“He said that we’re his most important people.” Gus blushes and smiles. “I think we’re real lucky, Jus.”

“We are real lucky.” Justin musses Gus’ hair, which makes Gus burst out laughing. He then dives at Justin and retaliates with more hair-mussing.

“What’s going on in here?”

Justin looks up and sees Brian standing in the door way. Brian smiles and shuts the door behind him, then dives onto the bed and makes a grab for Gus. As he wraps the kid up in his arms, Brian seems to notice the redness around Gus’ eyes. He flicks a concerned look Justin’s way, then asks gently, “You okay, kiddo?”

Gus nods his head up and down very quickly. “I’m okay, Daddy.”

Brian frowns and strokes his cheek gently. “Did something upset you?”

“Nope,” Gus lies, smiling bravely. “It was nothing.”

He smiles even bigger when Brian kisses his cheek. This seems to reassure Brian; he smiles back at Gus and teases, “Was Sunshine making you cry?”

“No,” Gus squawks, gaping at Brian in horror. “Jus wouldn’t do that!”

“Sure he would. He’s a real bully.” Brian grins evilly at Justin. “He’s horrible.”

“He is not!” Gus tackles Brian and swats his chest lightly. “Take it back, Daddy. Jus is the most nicest ever.”

“I don’t know,” Brian says, peering at Justin with mock suspicion. “He looks pretty evil to me.”

Though Justin is tempted to flip Brian off, he settles for poking his tongue out. Brian grins back at him for a moment - right before he starts tickling Gus.

“You’re a sillyhead,” Gus scolds, cackling as Brian tickles him. Once he’s wriggled away, he perks up and demands, “Where’s my cake?”

“You already had three cupcakes,” Brian says, tickling Gus’ foot once more for good measure.

“Jus brought me more.” Gus smiles sweetly at Justin and asks, “May I have my cake, please?”

“Sure you can.” Justin jumps up and grabs the plate from the dresser. “Here you go, Gussy. Have at it.”

As Gus grabs the plate eagerly and digs in, Justin sits down next to Brian and kisses his cheek. He smiles as Brian’s arm curls around his waist and takes it as an invitation to nestle in close. Justin rests his head on Brian’s shoulder and listens happily as Gus starts telling them all about what he’s been learning at school lately. Perhaps the best part is the look on Brian’s face - he’s all bright eyes and smiles, clearly totally immersed in Gus’ stories. Justin grabs Brian’s hand in his and holds it tight as he thinks with great pride:  _A Superdad, indeed._

 **TBC**  


	9. Epilogue

“Careful. _Careful._ Jus, please be careful!”

Justin suppresses a sigh as Gus trails after him like a tiny little drill sergeant. “Gussy, I swear, I’m being as careful as I can.”

Gus remains unconvinced. He stays right on Justin’s heels, stubbornly chanting, “Be careful, be careful, be careful…”

Finally, as Justin sets down the casserole dish, Gus falls silent. A frown creases his forehead as he climbs up onto the island to inspect the lasagne. “Is it okay?”

“It’s fine,” Justin replies whilst setting the oven mitts aside. As soon as his hands are free, he pats Gus’ shoulder reassuringly.

It doesn’t do much good. Gus huffs and scowls at him. “It’s not supposed to be ‘fine’. It’s supposed to be _perfect.”_

 _Perfect._ The word of the day, apparently. Gus has spent the entire day obsessing over the impending Father’s Day festivities and mandating that every last little detail be attended to impeccably. After spending most of the morning hunting through recipe books for the perfect Father’s Day meal, Justin and Gus headed to the markets to collect supplies. The trip took upwards of two hours due to Gus’ obsessive perfectionism: he didn’t just want six tomatoes, he wanted to find six tomatoes that were flawless; a simple punnet of strawberries wasn’t good enough – Gus wanted to make sure each and every strawberry contained within was up to his soaring standards; and so it went for every single ingredient on their list. The first hour was straight up adorable – Justin wanted to videotape the whole thing, it was so precious. The second hour was less so, and once they were nearing the third Justin felt about ready to collapse from exhaustion.

All afternoon and evening, Gus has been fixated on his goal of perfection. The lasagne had to be assembled meticulously. The strawberry and rhubarb pie needed to be beautiful inside and out. The garlic bread, which is still baking, has been forbidden to leave the oven until it reaches the exact right shade of golden brown.

“It will be perfect,” Justin promises. He leans in and kisses Gus’ forehead. “Look: it’s exactly how it’s supposed to be. Perfect.”

“Justin,” Gus says, very seriously, “This needs to be the bestest meal that Daddy ever ate in his whole entire life. Now, Daddy’s been around for a long time, so- why are you laughing?!”

“Sorry, Gussy.” Justin tries his best to stifle his laughter. Still chuckling a little, he says, “I wouldn’t go telling him that he’s ‘been around for a long time’, okay?”

With a huge pout, Gus laments, “You’re not supposed to be laughing. You’re supposed to be taking this seriously.”

“I am taking it seriously.” Justin gives Gus his best smile and ruffles the kid’s hair. “I know how important this is to you. I’m sure it will be perfect. Now, it’s time to get the garlic bread out.”

He grabs the oven mitts and slips them back on, then turns around to tend to the garlic bread – which, _hopefully,_ will have reached the desired shade of golden brown. But before Justin can get to the oven, two tiny arms wrap around his legs. Gus squeezes him tight and mumbles, “I’m sorry if I’m being a tiny bit mean, I just want Daddy to have the best Father’s Day ever.”

Justin smiles and scoops Gus up. He hugs the kid tight and vows, “He will, buddy. You’ve done a great job. This is going to make him so happy.”

Gus hums contentedly and snuggles into Justin. Then he leaps out of his arms and commands, “Don’t let the garlic bread burn.”

“I won’t,” Justin says. He moves quickly to open the oven door and pulls out the baking tray. He holds it so that Gus can have a good look. “See? Perfect.”

Gus narrows his eyes and assesses the garlic bread critically. Then he nods and confirms, “Perfect.”

“Hallelujah,” Justin says, grinning at Gus. “How about you set the table?”

With a suspiciously sweet smile, Gus queries, “Can I light the candles?”

Justin sets the tray down and turns to give Gus his full attention. Though he already knows the answer, he asks, “Do your moms let you use matches?”

“Moms let me use matches all the time,” Gus lies breezily. “It’s only J.R. who’s not allowed.”

Smiling knowingly at the treacherous kid, Justin asks, “Do your moms also let you lie to their faces?”

Gus pauses, blinks, then grins and replies slyly, “Yes.”

“You are so cheeky,” Justin laughs. He tickles Gus, wrangling a shriek and a burst of laughter from the kid, then resolves, “I’ll light the candles. You can do the rest. Go on.”

But before they can get started, Brian returns home. Gus shouts out excitedly and goes running to meet him. Justin follows and watches with a smile as Brian sweeps Gus up in a big hug. “What are you doing here, kiddo?”

“It’s Father’s Day! Moms and Jus and me planned it.” Gus lifts his head from Brian’s shoulder and smiles at him adoringly. “Tonight is Father’s Day dinner and tomorrow is our together time. Does that sound good, Daddy?”

Brian grins and spins Gus around. “Sounds great.”

“Okay, present time!” Gus catapults out of Brian’s arms and bolts towards the coffee table, where his present is waiting.

Meanwhile, Brian approaches Justin with an appreciative smirk. “You planned this, huh?”

Shrugging, Justin explains, “I wanted the two of you to be together. It is your big day, after all. How was work?”

 “Terrific,” Brian enthuses, looking very smug all of a sudden.  “I’ll tell you about it later. Right now, there are more important matters to attend to.”

He reaches for Justin greedily, and Justin happily lunges into Brian’s waiting arms. But before they can kiss, Gus dives between them and commands, “Daddy, go and sit down on the lounge. It’s time for your present.”

Brian tries to sidestep the kid to get to Justin, but Gus darts in front of him like a tiny human shield. Brian scoops him up and asks seriously, “Mind if I say hi to my boyfriend first?”

“Daddy,” Gus pleads, pouting, “I want to give you your present _now.”_

Given that Gus has been highly strung all day, that pout isn’t a good sign. It could easily lead to disaster. Justin carefully averts any potential crisis by saying quickly, “It’s fine. Go and open the present. Gus has been working on it for weeks.”

Brian sets Gus down and obediently heads towards the lounge. Gus clutches the wrapped present to his chest and turns to face Justin with rounded eyes that are teeming with anxiousness. In a whisper, Gus asks, “Do you think he’ll like his present?”

“I _know_ that he’ll love it.” Justin cups Gus’ face in his hands and kisses his forehead. “Go on, Gussy. Go give him his present.”

“Okay.” Gus smiles and presses a quick kiss to Justin’s cheek. “Thanks, Jus.”

“It’s okay. I’ll set the table, alright?”

Gus nods and then goes stampeding towards Brian. He jumps into Brian’s lap and starts chattering about the present: how Miss Lisa helped him make it, how he did more than any other kid in his class, how he designed the wrapping paper himself. Brian listens with a smile through all of it. Once Gus has finished delivering the detailed history of the gift, he helps Brian unwrap it with great care.

Justin ducks into the kitchen for a moment to start fetching the endless array of supplies that Gus has amassed for their table arrangement. It’s not just plates, glassware, and cutlery – there’s flowers from the markets, confetti that Gus made himself, and a stack of pictures that are to be prominently displayed. The kid sure has put a lot of thought into this evening. Although the prep work has been somewhat wearying, Justin is touched by how much energy Gus is driving into making Brian feel appreciated. 

As Justin makes his way back and forth between the dining table and the kitchen with the supplies, he keeps a close eye on Brian and Gus. Brian has Gus snuggled in his arms while Gus reads to him very, very quietly. There’s a blush blooming on Gus’ cheeks; he’s obviously still feeling a little shy about sharing the book. Brian is doing his best to encourage the kid – he has his chin propped on Gus’ shoulder and is helping to turn the pages. Every time Gus finishes reading a sentence, Brian ruffles his hair or kisses his cheek. It gradually makes the blush fade from Gus’ face, soon to be replaced by a glowing smile.

By the time Justin is dishing up their dinner, Gus has reached the final page. Once he’s done reading it aloud in that careful way of his, he closes the book and announces proudly, “The End.”

Then he frowns a little and says softly, “Only not ‘the end’ because you’ll always be amazing and I could write ten billion more pages about you.”

“Is that right?” Brian smiles and strokes Gus’ hair back gently, then kisses his forehead.

“That’s absolutely right,” Gus says, nodding confidently. “You’re the bestest, Daddy. Happy Father's Day.”

“Thank you, kiddo.”

Gus smiles radiantly and hands the book to Brian with a very, very delicate touch. “Will you look after it?”

“I will,” Brian promises. He glances down at the book and turns it over in his hands. On the cover, surrounded by glitter and woven ribbons, is a photo of Brian and Gus from a few months ago. Justin took it himself and considers it one of his favourites; in the photo, Brian and Gus are talking and laughing together, looking like they’re in their own little world. Brian touches the photo with a graze of his fingers and smiles a little. “Really, kiddo. Thank you.”

“S’okay,” Gus murmurs. Then he jumps up and demands, “Jus, is dinner ready? It’s time for dinner!”

Justin tries not to roll his eyes. He smiles at his tiny little drill sergeant and confirms, “Dinner’s ready. Go and wash your hands.”

Gus huffs a bit but sprints off to the bathroom nonetheless, leaving Justin and Brian alone. Brian walks over, the book tucked safely under his arm, and pulls Justin close. “Hey.”

“Hey,” Justin says, smiling up at Brian. Now that he’s closer, he can see clearly how moved Brian is. Justin kisses him tenderly and asks, “Nice day?”

Brian smiles, looks down at the book, then over at the dining table, then at Gus as he comes racing back into the room. With an incredibly bright smile teeming with awe, Brian says, “One of the best.”

**The End**


End file.
